


Do you hate me too?

by Fredwrites



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Just good ol platonic shit, Nadiya maybe feels like making a friend maybe?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-29 20:14:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12638358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fredwrites/pseuds/Fredwrites
Summary: Nadiya realises that maybe spending her whole life in social isolation isn't that fun and Remy agrees





	Do you hate me too?

To put it simply, Nadiya Jones didn't have friends. What she did have were co-workers and acquaintances. It had been like this since kindergarten. Most of the other children steered clear of her, and that was just fine by her. Nadiya had known, ever since she was a child, that she wanted to be one of the most revered scientists across the globe, and grades were more important than spending time with her peers in respect to that.

This lack of a social life tailed Nadiya through middle and high school. She had walked with an air of superiority down the halls, known as a prodigy and having multiple skipped grades. Unlike other popular kids, she didn't have an entourage to follow her. The aura around Nadiya was enough to make people stare. 

Even now, in her adult life, little had changed. Nadiya spent her time at the Do Good Fellowship working hard in her department and doing her best to ignore every social event alert that popped up in her inbox. Nadiya's free time consisted of black coffee and overtime. She was dead set on climbing to the top of the ranks within the orginization.

Superpowers had not been in Nadiya's plans when she had first wanted to be a scientist. It had been more of an obstacle to grapple with than she had expected. It wasn't her own that caused her trouble, no, it was Irene Baker's. 

Nadiya found the fact that she was now anchored to two other human beings indescribably frustrating, and now that one of them could randomly transform into a god - like alter ego made the situation about ten times worse. Especially because that alter ego thought she was a demon. 

The laptop in front of Nadiya illuminated the exhaustion underlining her eyes. She had spent all of the previous night compiling research data and writing up a report for Joe. She broke out of her reverie when she heard a few feather-light footsteps behind her.

Remy was waving at one of the other employees, a blissful grin plastered on his face, as per usual. Nadiya rolled her eyes. Remy's energy levels somehow made her feel even more drained than before.

She watched him jump about 4 feet into the air and grab the coffee out of a cabinet that would normally have been too high for him to reach. He was shorter than Nadiya, which she liked because when she wanted to give him a withering look it was even more effective to be looking down at him. 

"Hey, Nadiya! What are you up to?" Remy said, boiling water and searching for the sugar. 

"Working."

"Isn't it, like...break time?" 

"Break time is just an excuse to be lazy," Nadiya said. "If you want to get anywhere in this world, you have to put in the extra effort."

Remy looked at Nadiya for a moment before turning his attention back towards his drink. "Not everything is about work y'know. If you spend your whole life just on computers and filing and...whatever other sciencey stuff you do, you'll never actually... live?"

Nadiya shifted in her seat, a little uncomfortably. She didn't enjoy having her values put into question, especially by someone as foolish as Remy Rembrandt. "Work is living, Remy."

Remy sighed and poured the now boiled water into a mug. "Hey, Nadiya, how about you come to the meal we've got planned tonight. It should be fun! Maybe it'd help you get to know us, not in a life or death scenario. Then maybe you won't...I dunno, hate us so much?"

Nadiya's eyes widened a little. "You think I hate you?"

Remy laughed. "Uh, well, yeah? You always look at me like I'm a dissapointment and you and Kardala are constantly at each others' necks..." He took a sip of his coffee and added another heap of sugar. "Is that just how you...are?"

Swallowing, Nadiya shut her laptop. She couldn't explain why but she felt a twinge of nausea in her stomach. "I guess so." She looked tentatively at Remy. "I don't hate you, Remy. I don't hate Irene and I don't even hate Kardala. I'm just...not like you." Nadiya remembered the years she had spent in the icy cage of her own demeanour. She remembered the way her peers had avoided her and the way she had revelled in that feeling of power and control. She remembered every time Kardala had called her a demon, and every time she had sat and watched her co-workers joke and laugh as an observer. "Do you...hate me?" 

Surprise unfolded on Remy's face. He put down his mug. "What? Oh, God, Nadiya no! No way, I don't...really think I'm capable of hating someone actually." He took a seat beside Nadiya and offered her a smile. "I know it must be difficult for you. Team work isn't exactly your forte, huh."

"For once you're right." Nadiya attempted to return the smile but it ended up more sarcastic than intended. 

"Well, how about we work on that! Starting tonight? There's this awesome Italian place nearby and, like I said, we were all planning on going. Pretty killer calamari."

Nadiya glanced upwards and towards the doorway of the break room. Irene was chatting with one of the other employees from the Humanities department. In that moment, Nadiya noticed that Irene had a very nice smile. It was warm and inspired an instantaneous feeling of calm within her. She wondered if Kardala shared that smile. Maybe she'd find out later that evening.

"Alright, Rembrandt, I'm in. This better not be terrible though."

**Author's Note:**

> This was a request from my tumblr, @nadinyajones. Go check it out and feel free to send me a request! :D


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